The White Lotus Cult had originally possessed both a Left and Right Protector, each of considerable strength. However, the White Lotus Matriarch had uttered a single decree, installing Yang Kai as the Left Protector, and the former Left Protector hadn't dared to let so much as a peep of protest escape his lips.
Part of this stemmed from reverence toward the White Lotus Matriarch, and part from his own awareness that his strength truly did fall short of Yang Kai's. Fighting for the position would only humiliate himself.
During the banquet, it was this former Left Protector who poured the most toasts.
The welcome feast allowed Yang Kai and Xiao He to integrate seamlessly into the White Lotus Cult. From that day forward, no one regarded them as outsiders.
The days passed without incident. The White Lotus Matriarch clearly held Yang Kai in high regard, frequently seeking him out to discuss the broader state of the world, to analyze the White Lotus Cult's current situation and its strength relative to the Valiant Spirit Hall. She was showing every sign of treating Yang Kai as a trusted confidant.
Yet she never once asked Yang Kai to do anything, instead treating him as a fellow traveler.
Several months passed.
One day, the White Lotus Matriarch was conferring with Qu Huashang, plotting an assassination targeting the current Sect Master of the Valiant Spirit Hall, when her words suddenly trailed off and she turned to look to the side.
Yang Kai and Xiao He stood beside Qu Huashang like two bodyguards, but at this moment, both of their bodies had begun trembling involuntarily, wisps of frigid energy radiating from within.
Xiao He shivered and asked in confusion, "Why is it suddenly cold?"
The White Lotus Matriarch smiled faintly. "The Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill has taken effect. You'll feel a bit cold now, and shortly it'll turn hot. The cold and heat will alternate continuously, with each cycle intensifying significantly, until the taker can no longer endure it and their body explodes."
She spoke in a casual, offhand manner, as if describing something utterly trivial.
"Ah? Has it really been three months?" Xiao He was surprised. She had been spending every day here playing with the White Lotus Cult disciples, having so much fun that she hadn't noticed time passing at all. She extended a hand toward the White Lotus Matriarch. "Then give me the antidote!"
The White Lotus Matriarch shook her head with a smile. "There's no rush. This is the first time the pill's effects have manifested. Take this opportunity to get a good feel for it. After all, in the future you won't necessarily receive the antidote in time whenever the pill activates. You may need to endure it on your own for a while. If you grow accustomed to it now, it won't be as unbearable later."
"That makes sense!" Xiao He found her reasoning quite persuasive and promptly closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on experiencing the sensation.
Yang Kai faced an identical situation. The cold within his body had erupted without warning, pulling his own power along with it as it rampaged wildly through his meridians, beyond his control. Moments later, the cold abruptly transformed into a scorching current that seared through every inch of flesh like molten magma.
Unbearable agony swept through his entire body. Yang Kai's expression remained utterly blank, yet his clothes were drenched through in an instant.
He turned his head to glance at Xiao He and felt a chill of alarm.
Xiao He possessed an exceedingly rare constitution — she was immune to all poisons. Yang Kai didn't know why she had such a body, only that she had been this way for as long as he had known her.
Half a year ago, at the White Lotus Cult's hidden stronghold, it was precisely because of this constitution that she had been able to consume meals laced with poison without suffering any ill effects whatsoever.
It could be said that ordinary poisons in this world were completely ineffective against her.
Yet even with a constitution like hers, she still could not withstand the effects of the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill.
This was proof enough that the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill was no ordinary poison.
The White Lotus Matriarch and Qu Huashang continued refining every detail of the assassination, simulating numerous possible scenarios and countermeasures, striving to ensure the operation would proceed flawlessly.
Qu Huashang listened attentively, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the two beside her.
After a full two hours of discussion, the White Lotus Matriarch finally nodded and said, "That will do. If you fail this time, don't bother coming back."
Qu Huashang replied, "Please rest assured, Cult Master. This subordinate will complete the mission."
The White Lotus Matriarch nodded, then suddenly issued a command: "Kill them!"
There were only four people in the room. Besides the White Lotus Matriarch and Qu Huashang, the only others present were Yang Kai and Xiao He, writhing under the pill's effects.
Over the course of two hours, the two had endured countless cycles of alternating cold and heat, their internal energy thrown into complete disarray. Every ounce of their strength was now devoted solely to resisting the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill within their bodies.
Setting aside experts of the caliber of Qu Huashang and the White Lotus Matriarch, even an ordinary grown man could have slain the two of them on the spot with trivial ease.
Upon hearing the command, Qu Huashang showed not a moment's hesitation. She responded with a crisp affirmation, flickered forward to stand before Yang Kai, and extended her slender hand. A gleaming dagger materialized in her palm and drove straight toward Yang Kai's heart.
The blade sank two inches into his chest — and then his hand clamped around her wrist, allowing it to advance no further.
Qu Huashang turned her head, gazing at the White Lotus Matriarch in puzzlement. The latter chuckled softly. "That's enough. For this operation, bring them along."
Qu Huashang cupped her fists. "Understood!"
The White Lotus Matriarch drifted away, and on the table sat two Antidote Pills for the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill.
Qu Huashang retrieved the antidotes and administered them to Yang Kai and Xiao He one by one. Their symptoms rapidly subsided.